Name: Alcaligenes paradoxus Davis 1969 (Approved Lists 1980)

Category: Species

Proposed as: sp. nov.

Etymology: pa.ra.do’xus. N.L. masc. adj. paradoxus, strange, contrary to all expectation, in reference to the chemolithotrophic and/or organotrophic metabolism of the organism

Pronunciation, gender: … pa-ra-DO-ksus, masculine

Type strain: ATCC 17713; CCUG 1777; CIP 103459; DSM 30034; IFO 15149; JCM 20526; JCM 20895; LMG 1797; NBRC 15149; VKM B-1329

See detailed strain information at

Conduct genome-based taxonomy at

16S rRNA gene: AB622219 Analyse FASTA

Effective publication: Davis DH, Doudoroff M, Stanier RY, Mandel M. Proposal to reject the genus Hydrogenomonas: taxonomic implications. International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology 1969; 19:375-390.

IJSEM list: Skerman VBD, McGowan V, Sneath PHA. Approved lists of bacterial names. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1980; 30:225-420.

Nomenclatural status: validly published under the ICNP

Taxonomic status: synonym (and not recommended for medical use)

Correct name: Variovorax paradoxus (Davis 1969) Willems et al. 1991

Risk group: 2

• Synonyms:

  • Name	Kind
    Variovorax paradoxus (Davis 1969) Willems et al. 1991	homotypic synonym, validly published under the ICNP

• Notes:
  • ❗ Alcaligenes paradoxus is the correct name instead if this species is regarded as a separate species (i.e., if its nomenclatural type is not assigned to another species whose name is validly published, legitimate and not rejected and has priority) within a separate genus Alcaligenes.
  • ✏ The authority of the taxon name (Davis) deliberately differs from the authors of the publication (Davis et al.).
  • 😷 The risk group for Canada has been imported on 2024-02-27. The full classification is: risk group = 2, note = "Animal classification RG: 1 - Security sensitive biological agent: No - Terrestrial animal pathogen under Canadian Food Inspection Agency authority: No - Containment level: Containment Level 2". — The risk group for Swiss Confederation has been imported on 2024-02-01. The full classification is: risk group = 1. — The risk group for Germany has been imported on 2023-10-29. The full classification is: risk group = 1. — If in doubt, use the risk group given in the regulations for your country and, if these are not available, use the risk group given in the catalogue of the culture collection from which you have obtained or intend to obtain the strain.
  • 🎓 Name mentioned 9 times in PubMed until 2025-06-04.
  • 🙅 This name is on the List of Recommended Names for bacteria of medical importance (LoRN) as a synonym of the name to be applied to this species. The name is on LoRN because of the recorded risk group of the species itself.

Parent taxon: Alcaligenes Castellani and Chalmers 1919 (Approved Lists 1980)

Assigned by: Davis DH, Doudoroff M, Stanier RY, Mandel M. Proposal to reject the genus Hydrogenomonas: taxonomic implications. International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology 1969; 19:375-390.

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Record number: 773019